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At 52, Popp becomes oldest Cities champ ever

TYNGSBORO -- Through all his 27 previous attempts to win the Lowell City Golf Tournament, George Popp never seemed to age.

He retained his youthful looks, his boyish enthusiasm, his ready smile.

But Popp at age 52 is not quite as robust off the tee as he once was. Years ago he might have been more gung-ho to reach the green in two on Vesper's par-5 18th were he in need of a birdie to win that elusive Cities title.

But with darkness creeping in on a long, hot finale to the 89th Cities on Wednesday, Popp played the 526-yard 18th like an old pro.

His precise second shot left Popp in the middle of the fairway, 70 yards from the pin. From there, this former UMass Lowell hockey player wearing his River Hawks cap hit a 60-degree wedge to three feet from the hole.

"From the fairway it looked like a foot," said Popp, smiling. "It didn't turn out to be a foot."

Nevertheless, Popp calmly stood over that birdie putt. And with one steady stroke of his long putter that was 27 years in the making, this Westford resident, who grew up in Chelmsford, knocked into oblivion the title of "Best Cities Golfer Never To Win The Cities."

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The People's Choice finally prevailed. In doing so, Popp became the oldest Cities champion, two years older than Larry Martin when he won his sixth title in 1984.

"He took his lumps and bumps in the Cities over the years, and he just kept going," said Popp's Vesper teammate Phil Smith, an eight-time champion who this year finished sixth, five shots behind Popp.

Vesper CC's George Popp celebrates his Lowell City Golf Tournament victory Wednesday night at his home course. SUN/BOB WHITAKER

Popp's birdie putt on 18 gave him a one-shot victory over Vesper teammate Griffin Brown, a 20-year-old who was two groups ahead and in the clubhouse already at six-over 222 for the tournament after shooting Wednesday's low round of 2-under 70.

Popp shot 4-over-par 76 over Vesper's cruelly quick greens for a three-round 221. After runner-up Brown at 222, Mt. Pleasant's Chris Gentle was third at 223, shooting a 3-over 75 on Wednesday.

Gentle, who played with eight-time champ Smith and 10-time champ Doug Parigian in the next-to-last group, was right with Popp until a double bogey on 16 dropped him to 7-over for the tournament, two shots behind Popp.

Popp already had heaven and earth pulling for him.

George Popp celebrates his winning putt on the 18th green at Vesper. SUN/BOB WHITAKER

His father Bob, who himself had been a longtime Cities player out of Nabnasset, died in January of cancer at age 82. Bob Popp had watched his son George during all those 27 previous attempts to win this tournament. Popp is certain his father was again there on Wednesday.

Popp's wife Cheryl said she prayed as her husband stood over that birdie putt on 18: "I just said, 'Help him out here, Bob.' "

After his opening-round 76 at Mt. Pleasant last Friday, Popp said his swing all of a sudden came around while he shot a 69 at Long Meadow on Saturday.

"It just felt a little like (my father) was there with me," said Popp.

Popp began Wednesday with a one-shot lead over defending champion Shawn Scott of Long Meadow.

Also playing in the final group was Nabnasset's Mike Walker, among three golfers who began the day three shots behind Popp.

Walker shot 76 and finished fourth at 224. Scott shot 79 and finished fifth at 225. Though Popp started his final round bogey-bogey, he never dropped totally from the lead, though Walker and Scott did grab shares early on, and Gentle and Brown up ahead grabbed shares.

"When I three-putted 10 (for a bogey to go to 4-over for the tournament), it brought everybody closer," said Popp. "But I stayed very calm. I've been in the final group before and I've had problems with my swing not being there. But today was just a very calm feeling, and it was fun.

Westford resident George Popp turns in his winning card at the scorer's table. SUN/BOB WHITAKER

When he was playing more competitive golf in his younger days, it did mean something to Popp that he had not won the Cities.

"But as I got older and had a family, I kind of took the position that I've actually played well in a lot of golf tournaments," said Popp, a former Francis Ouimet Tournament champion and Mass Amateur finalist.

George and Cheryl Popp are now the only husband and wife to win their respective City Tournaments. Cheryl Popp won the 2010 Women's Cities.